Nozzle holder



Q July 8, 1969 v. BARTo EK ET AL 3,454,248

NOZZLE HOLDER Filed July 10, 1967 United States Patent Oifice 3,454,248 Patented July 8, 1969 3,454,248 NOZZLE HOLDER Vladimir Bartosek, Brno, and Alois Hanousek, Vazany nad Litavou, Czechoslovakia, assignors to Elitex, Zavody Textilniho Strojirenstvi, Generalni Reditelstvi, Liherec, Czechoslovakia Filed July 10, 1967, Ser. No. 652,658 Claims priority, application Czechoslovakia, July 8, 1966, 4,625/66 Int. Cl. B05b /06 U.S. Cl. 248-75 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A nozzle holder. A support member is provided with an aperture having a first axis. A nozzle unit is carried by the support member and is provided with a fluid passage which has a second axis, the fluid passage being in registry with the aperture. Mounting means mounts the nozzle unit on the second member for tilting movement relative thereto between a plurality of positions in which the two axes are inclined with reference to one another.

Background of the invention The present invention relates generally to the mounting of nozzles, and more particularly to a nozzle holder. Still more specifically, the present invention relates to a nozzle holder which has special utility in jet weaving looms.

In many applications, it is desirable to be able to direct a stream of fluid issuing from a nozzle in a particular direction. While the present invention is generally concerned with this aspect of nozzle mounting, it is of particular utility in conjunction with jet weaving looms and will hereafter be discussed with reference thereto.

In such jet weaving looms, it is well known to insert the weft thread into the shed by having the thread carried along by a fluid medium issuing from a nozzle. Depending on the type of jet weaving loom involved, different fluids may be used for this purpose. Thus, in a hydraulic jet weaving loom, a hydraulic medium will generally be utilized and in a pneumatic jet weaving loom an air current or the like will be employed for the same purpose. However, regardless of the type of medium used and of the type of jet weaving loom involved, it is always of the utmost importance that the flow of the medium, that is the direction in which the medium issues from the nozzle, be precisely controllable because it in turn determines whether the weft thread is inserted into the shed properly, that is in such a manner that the inserted weft thread will move towards the opposite side of the shed in an accurate path.

To provide this desired control it is known to mount the nozzle used in jet weaving looms for weft insertion in a nozzle holder consisting, generally speaking, of two spaced plates which are drawn towards one another by means of two bolts. The nozzle body, carried by or connected to a ball journal, is so arranged that this latter is disposed between the two plates and, when the same are tightly urged towards one another and into engagement with the ball journal, the latter is held stationary and cannot be moved. On the other hand, when an adjustment in the direction is desired, on or both of the bolts are simply loosened and the ball journal can then be freely turned. Unfortunately, such adjustment is possible with this type of arrangement only when the loom is stopped. The reason for this is that, when the bolt or bolts are loosened, the ball journal carrying the nozzle body will arbitrarily change its position, thus making impossible all directional control until the bolt or bolts are again tightened. This is, of course, not tolerable while the machine operates because it would lead to irregularities in the weave. Therefore, the type of loom which is provided with such a construction must always be stopped before an adjustment is made.

Also, there is the fact in this prior-art construction that tight engagement of the plates with the ball journal tends to form flat spots on the ball journal at the points of engagement and this makes adjustment of the position of the ball journal, and consequently of the nozzle body, unduly difficult because the ball journal is either difficult to rotate out of the position in which the flat spots engage the respective plates or, once a rotation has been accomplishedand if it is of relatively minor nature so that the respective flat spots are not turned completely out of contact with the holding plates-the ball journal will have a tendency to return to its previous position.

Therefore, there has existed in this field a long-standing need for an improvement in the adjustable mounting of nozzle bodies. However, heretofore nothing is known in the art which overcomes the above-enumerated disadvantages of known constructions.

Summary of the invention The present invention overcomes the disadvantages outlined above.

More particularly, the present invention provides a nozzle holder which can be freely adjusted at any time, and most particularly during operation of the machine.

The nozzle holder in accordance with the present invention does not have a tendency to return undesirably to its pre-adjustment position, regardless of how great or how little the change in adjustment is which is to be accomplished.

In accordance with the invention, the nozzle holder herein disclosed is capable of both large and minute adjustments in the position of the nozzle, and thereby on the fluid stream carrying the weft thread.

The nozzle holder, according to my present invention, is extremely simple in its construction and is not subject to wear or to the difficulties encountered in previously known constructions and recited above in connection with the so-called flat spots found on previously used ball journals.

In accordance with one feature of my invention, I provide a nozzle holder which is generally useable in all instances where a stream of fluid issuing from a nozzle is to be made adjustable, that is where it is necessary that the direction in which the stream of fluid issues be adjustable. In particular, however, the present nozzle holder is of utility in jet weaving looms. It comprises a support member which is provided with an aperture and this aperture has a first axis. A nozzle unit is carried by the support member and in turn is provided with a fluid passage which has a second axis. The fluid passage is in registry with the aperture of the support member. Mounting means mounts the nozzle unit on the support member for tilting movement relative thereto. Such tilting movement permits adjustment of the nozzle unit with respect to the support member between a plurality of positions in which the second axis is inclined with reference to the first axis so that the direction of fluid passing through the passage and issuing therefrom can be varied at will.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

Brief description of the drawing FIG. 1 is a section taken on the line II of FIG. 2; and FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the device illustrated in FIG. 1.

Description of the preferred embodiments Discussing the drawing in detail, it will be seen that I have illustrated in FIG. 1 a nozzle which is generally identified with reference numeral 1 and which is shown only diagrammatically. The reason for that showing is that this nozzle 1 can be of any known type and is very well known to those skilled in this field. The nozzle 1 is provided with a valve body 2 whose central opening registers with the fluid passage of the nozzle 1 and in which central passage a forward portion of the conical nozzle is received. The valve body 2 is maintained in the position illustrated in FIG. 1 by a suitable biasing means, for instance by the helical spring 3 which is illustrated and which bears on the one hand against a lid 4 suitably secured into a housing 5, for instance by engagement of mating screw threads, and on the other hand against the body 2.

FIG. 1 illustrates that a free end face of the housing 5, which latter can be considered as a unit together with the nozzle body 1, the valve body 2, the spring 3 and the lid or cap 4, is provided with a recess whose bounding surface initially converges and thereupon diverges in the direction from the free end face towards the other end of the housing 5, that is the end at which the cap 4 is secured. Disposed in this recess is an elastic member 7. This member 7 consists of an elastomeric material, such as hard rubber, a synthetic plastic material, or the like, and is configurated in the form of an annulus. It is to be understood that the annulus can be of circular outline or of non-circular outline, for instance quadratic, triangular or the like. In the illustrated embodiment, the annulus 7 is of circular cross section but again it is to be understood that the cross section could be other than circular, namely quadratic, triangular, oval or different desired configuration. A support member in form of a mounting plate 9 is provided with a circumferential groove 8 and the body 7 of elastomeric material is received partly in this groove 8 and partly in the stepped recess 6 of the housing 5. A plurality of bolts extend through suitable apertures in the blade 9 and mesh with screw threads provided in the housing 5. In the illustrated embodiment three of these bolts 10 are shown (compare FIG. 2) and this is a suflicient number where, as in the particular illustrated embodiment, the annulus 7 is of circular outline. If the annulus 7 is of a difierent outline, a similar number or a larger number of bolts may be employed.

It will be seen from FIG. 1 that each of the bolts 10 is provided with a washer 10a which is preferably configurated as a segment of a sphere and which is interposed between the head of the respective bolt 10 and the outer free surface of the support plate 9.

The configuration of the support plate 9 is illustrated in FIG. 2, and it will be seen that it is provided with a laterally extending lug 11 in which there is formed a slot 12. A screw or bolt 13 extends through the lug and serves to compress the same, by virtue of the yieldability conferred to it by the slot 12, about an eccentic 14 which extends into an eccentric pivot 15. The pin 14 is provided with a square or otherwise configurated head 16 for permitting adjustment of the eccentricity of the pin 14. The pivot 15, in turn, is mounted in a clamp body 17 which in turn is fixed to a machine frame or the like by means of screws or bolts (which are not illustrated) which for this purpose pass through the apertures 18 is provided in the clamp 17. The eccentric pivot itself is secured in a corresponding opening provided in the clamp body 17 by means of the screw 19 which serves to clamp portions of the clamp body 17 about the pivot 15, the clamp body for this purpose being provided with a slot 20 so as to confer yieldability upon it.

The positioning of the device here illustrated is of course such that, when it is first assembled, a stream of fluid entering into the passage of the nozzle body 1 in the direction of the arrow illustrated in FIG 1 will issue from the fluid passage in a predetermined direction so as to direct the Weft thread carried by it to the other side of the shed and onto a predetermined desired point. The initial adjustment of the device is such that the bolts 10 are evenly tightened so that the annulus 7 is under equal circumferentially distributed compression. If, with this arrangement, the desired precise direction of the fluid stream and therefore of the weft thread, is not obtained or if it subsequently becomes necessary to adjust this direction, then it is simply necessary to loosen and/ or tighten one or the other of the bolts 10, an operation which can of course be carried out while the machine, namely the jet weaving loom, is working. It is clear that, as for instance one of the bolts 10 is loosened and another one is tightened, the annulus 7 will be under less compression in the area of the loosened bolt and will be under more compression in the area of the tightened bolt. Consequently, the nozzle unit will tilt with respect to the mounting plate 9 and the axis of the fluid passage in the nozzle body 1 will of course be inclined accordingly with reference to the axis in the aperture of the plate 9. As a result a very precise and very simple adjustment of the direction of the fluid stream issuing from the passage of nozzle body 1, and therefore of the weft thread carried by the fluid stream, is made possible.

It is clear that the entire unit, consisting of the nozzle unit and the plate 9 secured to it, can in itself be adjusted W th respect to the machine by pivoting it relative to the clamp 17. For this purpose, it is simply necessary to turn the plate 9 on the eccentric pin 14 while simultaneously first loosening and, when the desired position is reached, again tightening the screw 13. A further adjustment is possible by turning the entire eccentric pivot 15 which is accomplished by rotating the head 16 of the pin 14 and simultaneously loosening screws 13 and 19 which, when the adjustment is performed must of course againt be tightened.

It is to be again emphasized that while the invention herein disclosed has particular use in conjunction with jet weaving looms, it is by no means limited to use in such apparatus only, it being evident that it can be employed wherever it is essential to be able to provide adjustments for a fluid stream which range from minute to very considerable.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of arrangements differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a nozzle holder particularly suitable for use with jet weaving looms, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, thereof, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A nozzle holder, particularly for jet weaving looms, comprising, in combination, a support member provided with an aperture having a first axis; a nozzle unit carried by said support member and provided with a fluid passage having a second axis, said fluid passage being in registry with said aperture; and mounting means mounting said nozzle unit on said support member for tilting movement relative thereto between a plurality of position in which said second axis is inclined with reference to said first axis, whereby to vary the direction of fluid passing through said passage and issuing therefrom, said mounting means comprising a plurality of individually adjustable connecting means circumferentially spaced about said axes and being operative for effecting tilting movement of said nozzle unit with reference to said support member in a sense resulting in aninclination of said second axis to said first axis in a direction intersecting said first axis substantially diametrally to the location of the respective connecting means.

2. A nozzle holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said support member and said nozzle unit have respective spaced facing surfaces; and wherein said mounting means comprises an annular member of elastomeric material received between said surfaces under compression and said connecting means comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced individually adjustable connecting elements connecting said support member and said nozzle unit and each being operable for varying the spacing between said facing surfaces.

3. A nozzle'holder as defined in claim 2, wherein said annular member is of circular outline.

4. A nozzle holder as defined in claim 2, wherein said annular member is of other-than-circular outline.

5. A nozzle holder as defined in claim 2, wherein said annular member is of circular cross-section.

6. A nozzle holder as defined in claim 2, wherein said annular member is of other-than-circular cross-section.

7. A nozzle holder as defined in claim 2, wherein said spaced facing surfaces are normal to the axis of said aperture and said passage, respectively.

8. A nozzle holder as defined in claim 2, wherein said elastomeric material is rubber.

9. A nozzle holder as defined in claim 2, wherein said elastomeric material is a synthetic plastic material.

10. A nozzle holder as defined in claim 1; further comprising a stationary member; and means connecting said support member to said stationary member for tilting movement about two parallel tilting axes.

11. A nozzle holder as defined in claim 1; further comprising a stationary member and means connecting said support member to said stationary member for tilting movement about two tilting axes which are parallel to one another and to said first axis of said aperture.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 20,488 8/1937 Zinkil 239-587 X 73,422 1/1868 Wilson 285-184 X 777,053 12/1904 Wilson 239-587 X 904,534 11/ 1908 Henderson 285-184 X 2,321,949 6/ 1943 Sorensen 248-282 X 2,669,207 2/1954 Happe 248- X 2,990,122 6/1961 Blumberg 239-587 X CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

